Pressure actuated dispenser for washing machines



June 12, 1962' M. E. ANDERSON PRESSURE ACTUATED DISPENSER FOR WASHING MACHINES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 31, 1957 June 12, 1962 M. E. ANDERSON PRESSURE ACTUATED DISPENSER FOR WASHING MACI- IINES Filed Oct. 31, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. M4f/VARD 54005950 52m Mia/ d aws/W06: I

Patented June 12, 1962 3,038,639 PRESSURE ACTUATED DISPENSER FOR WASHING MACHINES Maynard E. Anderson, Redwood City, Calif., assignor to American Radiator & Standard Sanitary Corporation, New York, N.Y.

Filed Oct. 31, 1957, Ser. No. 693,724 7 Claims. (Cl. 2227il) The present invention relates to a method of dispensing liquids and to apparatus for carrying out this method, particularly in conjunction with automatic washing machines.

The procedure which generally has been followed up to this time in adding various additives or agents such as detergents, soaps, Water softeners, bleaches or the like, to the wash tub of an automatic washing machine, has been for the user manually to measure desired quantities of such agents in either dry or liquid form and to pour the same into the tub. For obvious reasons, such a procedure is unsatisfactory and is outmoded by the many other automatic features now conventionally employed in automatic Washing machines.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of dispensing a liquid agent into a receptacle being filled with a liquid by employing the rising liquid in the receptacle to provide the energy for pumping a liquid agent thereinto in metered quantities.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a method of dispensing of the foregoing character wherein the rising liquid is used to provide the energy for pumping a plurality of liquid agents into the receptacle in metered quantities.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a method of dispensing of the foregoing character wherein the metering of the liquid agent can be selectively varied so that any of a plurality of desired quantities of the liquid agent can be added to the contents of the receptacle.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a method of dispensing of the foregoing character wherein the time of introducing the liquid agent into the contents of the receptacle is automatically controlled.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a liquid dispenser for use with a receptacle, said dispenser utilizing energy from rising liquid in said receptacle to pump a desired quantity of a liquid agent into the receptacle.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a liquid dispenser of the foregoing character which is constructed and arranged so that it can inject large volumes of liquids in predetermined amounts without employing expensive pumps, motors, val-ve units and the like.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a liquid dispenser of the foregoing character which is constructed and arranged so that no moving parts contact the injected liquids thereby avoiding troubles which otherwise would arise because of corrosive properties such liquids may have or because of their viscous properties or their tendencies to congeal.

It is still another object of the present invention to pro- Another object of the present invention is to provide a dispenser of the foregoing character wherein the rates of liquid agent to the liquid in the receptacle is kept uniformly constant so that any Water level in the receptacle will contain substantially the same solution.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a dispenser of the foregoing character which is constructed and arranged so that a plurality of liquid agents can be injected into the receptacle simultaneously or in timed relation while utilizing common metering and pumping apparatus.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a dispenser of the foregoing character which is constructed and arranged so that the liquid agent can be injected selectively at a plurality of different rates so that the concentration in the receptacle can be varied for different materials contained therein.

Other objects of this invention will appear in the following description and appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary section, partially schematic, of one embodiment of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a similar fragmentary section of a second embodiment of the present invention; and

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary section of a third embodiment of the present invention.

Before explaining the present invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, since the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.

Referring now to the drawings a more detailed description of the present invention will be given. The first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGURE 1. The invention will be described as it is applicable for use with an automatic Washing machine.

A receptacle or washer tub 10 is shown having a metering chamber 12 mounted adjacent one side with a passageway 14 placing the lower regions in liquid communication. If desired, the pressure chamber 12 may be connected to the passageway normally leading to the existing pressure switch tube 16 found on conventional automatic washing machines.

The metering chamber 12 is closed at the upper end except for an outlet 18 opening to the passageway 20. The latter discharges into a closed reservoir 22 which is adapted to be filled in any suitable manner with an agent or additive such as liquid detergent, liquid bleach, liquid rinse or the like. Another passageway or dispensing tube 24 opens at one end to the bottom of reservoir 22 and at the other end into the tub or receptacle 10. If desired, the outlet of passageway or dispensing tube 24 may be adjacent the water fill conduit 26 so as to avoid excessive local concentrations of the liquid agent or additive.

The air passageway 20 has an air valve 28 controlled, for example, by an electric solenoid 30. The latter is in an electric circuit of the timer 32 which controls operation of the automatic washing machine. Means other than an electric solenoid 30 could also be used to control air valve 28. For example, an electrically actuated heat motor, characterized by a bi-metallic leaf and a resistance wire heater, would also be satisfactory. Only the timer cam 34 is schematically shown together with the circuit 36 adapted to be closed by closing switch 38..

The cam 34, when rotated to the proper position will open switch 40 thereby opening the circuit 36.

In the normal operation of the invention, the user of the automatic washing machine will initially set the timer 32 for the desired sequence of wash and/or rinse operations to be performed. Assuming the reservoir 22 contains a liquid agent 42 which is to be injected into the tub during the initial filling of tub 10 with water, the timer 32 will then energize solenoid valves (not shown) causing water of the required temperature to enter through the water fill conduit 26. As the water fills the tub 10, the solenoid coil 30 will also be energized opening air valve 28.

As the water rises in tub 10 the water in metering chamber 12 will correspondingly rise to a level somewhat lower than the level in the tub 16. Since air was trapped in metering chamber 12 as soon as the water rose above the passageway 14, such trapped air will be under pressure and will flow through air passageway to the reservoir 22. The pressurized air will displace therefrom a volume of liquid agent 42 substantially equal to its own volume causing the latter to flow out the dispensing tube or passageway 24 into the receptacle 10. The rise of water in receptacle 10 is a gradual one, and therefore, the rate at which the liquid agent is displaced or pumped from the reservoir will be gradual and proportionate to the quantity of water in receptacle 10.

It should be observed that there are no moving parts with which the liquid agent will come into contact, the only moving part being the air valve 28 which comes into contact only with clean air, acting as the pumping medium, which is displaced from the metering chamber 12.

When the receptacle or tub 10 is drained, the air valve 28 will be closed. As soon as the level of water drops below passageway 14, air can flow back into metering chamber 12 allowing the water therein to drain. The dispenser is then ready to be used again in a similar cycle of operation.

The embodiment illustrated in FIGURE 2 is similar to that of FIGURE 1 and the same reference numbers will be applied to common parts. The main difference between the two embodiments is in the construction and arrangement of the metering chamber 44. The latter has vertical partitions 46 and 48 dividing the upper part of metering chamber 44 into three spaces having the same or different cross sectional areas. Three outlets or branch passageways 50, 52 and 54 lead to the main passageway 20 which discharges into reservoir 22. The branch passageways 50, 52 and 54 have valves 56, 58 and 60 therein which may all be operated by a common selector knob 62. The latter can be turned to a plurality of positions to open selectively any one or any combinations of the valves 56, 58 and 60. By virtue of this construction and arrangement the quantity of air which can be pumped to the reservoir can be made to vary for a given rise of water in the receptacle 10. Thus, if a Weak solution of the liquid agent 42 in the water is desired, only the valve 60 need be opened during filling of receptacle 10. Then, only the amount of liquid agent from reservoir 22 will be injected as is displaced by air from the space in metering chamber 44 that is associated with valve 60.

If a stronger solution is required, two valves may be opened, for example valves 56 and 58 as is shown in FIGURE 2. It will be understood that various combinations of settings of the valve selector knob 62 may be utilized to give solutions of a plurality of different concentrations.

FIGURE 3 shows a still different construction and arrangement of the same invention, and again, similar parts will be identified by similar reference numbers. It will be observed that the portion of the dispenser shown on the right half of the figure is substantially the same as the embodiment illustrated in FIGURE 1 and therefore it will not be described again. The portion shown in the left half of the figure has the same reservoir 22a and the same timer details. These details are indicated by the same reference numbers followed by the letter a, and are connected by air passageway 20a to air passageway 20 so that both reservoirs 22 and 22a utilize the same metering chamber 12.

In this construction and arrangement the cams 34a and 34 can be set so that the contents of the reservoirs 22 and 22a are simultaneously injected into the receptacle 10, or one can be used during a wash cycle while the other is inoperative, and during the rinse cycle the converse would be true. Again, various arrangements can be worked out to serve the particular needs of the user.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In combination with a receptacle adapted to receive a liquid, a metering chamber adjacent said receptacle having its lower portion in liquid communication with said receptacle so that filling liquid into said receptacle will cause liquid to rise in said metering chamber, a closed reservoir adjacent the upper portion of said receptacle for carrying a liquid agent, a passageway communicating between an upper portion of said metering chamber and said reservoir through which a fluid displaced from upper regions of said metering chamber by rising liquid can flow to said reservoir, normally closed valve means in said passageway for controlling flow of said fluid to said reservoir, means for automatically opening said valve means in timed relation to filling of said receptacle with liquid, and a passageway extending from said reservoir to said receptacle through which liquid agent displaced from said reservoir by the inflowing fluid can discharge into said receptacle.

2. In combination with a receptacle adapted to receive a liquid, a metering chamber adjacent said receptacle having its lower portion in liquid communication with said receptacle so that filling liquid into said receptacle will cause liquid to rise in said metering chamber, a plurality of closed reservoirs adjacent said receptacle for carrying liquid agents, passageways communicating between an upper portion of said metering chamber and each of said reservoirs through which a fluid displaced from upper regions of said metering chamber by rising liquid can flow to said reservoirs, valve means in each of said passageways for controlling the flow of said fluid to each of said reservoirs, and passageways extending from each of said reservoirs through which liquid agents displaced from said reservoirs can discharge into said receptacle.

3. In combination with a receptacle adapted to receive a liquid, a metering chamber adjacent said receptacle having its lower portion in liquid communication with said receptacle so that filling liquid into said receptacle will cause liquid to rise in said metering chamber, a plurality of closed reservoirs adjacent said receptacle for carrying liquid agents, passageways communicating between said metering chamber and reservoirs through which a fluid displaced from said metering chamber by the rising liquid can flow to said reservoirs, a solenoid operated valve in each of said passageways for controlling the flow of said fluid to each of said reservoirs, an electric timer circuit including the solenoid of each valve for selectively opening and closing said valves in timed relation to the filling of said receptacle with liquid, and passageways extending from each of said reservoirs to said receptacle through which liquid agents displaced from said reservoirs can discharge into said receptacle.

4. In a washing machine, the combination with a washer tube adapted to receive water for washing and rinsing operations, a metering chamber adjacent said tub having its lower portion in liquid communication with said tub so that filling water into the latter will cause water to rise in said metering chamber, a pair of reservoirs adjacent said tub for carrying respectively liquid washing and liquid rinsing agents, passageways communicating between said metering chamber and each of said reservoirs through which a fluid displaced from said metering chamber by the rising water can flow to said reservoirs, a solenoid operated valve in the passageway to each reservoir for controlling the flow of said fluid to such reservoirs, an electric timer circuit including the solenoids of said valves for selectively opening and closing said valves during the wash-fill and rinse-fill portions of the washing and rinsing cycles of a washing machine, and passageways leading from each of said reservoirs to said washer tub through which said washing and rinsing agents can discharge into said tub.

5. In combination with a receptacle adapted to receive a liquid, a metering chamber adjacent said receptacle having its lower portion in liquid communication with said receptacle so that filling liquid into said receptacle will cause liquid to rise in said metering chamber, a closed reservoir adjacent said receptacle for carrying a liquid agent, said metering chamber having a plurality of vertical partitions dividing the upper portion into separate spaces of different cross sectional areas, a passageway communicating between said metering chamber and said reservoir through which a fluid displaced 'from said metering chamber by rising liquid can flow to said reservoir, said passageway having separate valve-controlled branches leading to each of said separate spaces so that different quantities of fluid will flow to said reservoir depending upon the positions of the valves controlling flow through said branches, and a passageway from said reservoir to said receptacle through which the liquid agent displaced from said reservoir can discharge into said recep-tacle.

6. In combination with a receptacle adapted to receive a liquid, a metering chamber adjacent said receptacle having its lower portion in liquid communication with said receptacle so that filling liquid into said receptacle will cause liquid to rise in said metering chamber, a closed reservoir adjacent said receptacle for carrying a liquid agent, said metering chamber having a plurality of vertical partitions dividing the upper portion into separate spaces, a passageway communicating between said metering chamber and said reservoir through which a fluid displaced from said metering chamber by rising liquid can flow to said reservoir, said passageway having separate branches leading to each of said separate spaces, valves in each of said branches for controlling flow of fluid therethrough to said reservoir, a selector means connected to said valves for opening and closing the same to vary selectively the quantity of fluid that can flow to said reservoir for a given rise in the level of liquid in said receptacle, and a passageway from said reservoir to said receptacle through which the liquid agent displaced from said reservoir can discharge into said receptacle.

7. In combination with a receptacle adapted to receive a liquid, a metering chamber adjacent said receptacle having its lower portion in liquid communication with said receptacle so that filling liquid into said receptacle will cause liquid to rise in said metering chamber, a closed reservoir adjacent said receptacle for carrying a liquid agent, said metering chamber having a plurality of vertical partitions dividing the upper portion into separate spaces, a passageway communicating between said metering chamber and said reservoir through which a fluid displaced from said metering chamber by rising liquid can flow to said reservoir, said passageway ha ving separate branches leading to each of said separate spaces, valves in each of said branches for controlling flow of fluid therethrough to said reservoir, a selector means connected to said valves for opening and closing the same to vary selectively the quantity of fluid that can flow to said reservoir for a given rise in the level of liquid in said receptacle, a solenoid operated valve in said passage for controlling the flow of fluid from any of said branches to said reservoir, an electric timer circuit including said solenoid for opening and closing said solenoid operated valve in timed relation to filling said receptacle with liquid, and a passageway from said reservoir to said receptacle through which the liquid agent displaced from the reservoir can discharge into said receptacle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 640,306 Jones Jan. 2, 1901 1,958,541 Hutchings May 15, 1934 2,064,627 Paine Dec. 15, 1936 2,227,646 Hillmann Jan. 7, 1941 2,351,580 Beckman June 20, 1944 2,820,357 Henrici Jan. 21, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 271,995 Great Britain Apr. 16, 1926 392,031 Great Britain May 11, 19-33 

